Sustainability

Our Approach To Sustainability

Guardian Industries’ belief—that great products do something positive for people and the planet—has been present since our first environmental policy was established in 1993. Our business philosophy has long focused on producing safe and reliable glass solutions, operating a healthy workplace as well as assuring the efficient use and preservation of natural resources. We have always taken pride in our focus on sustainability issues and moving those ideas into action.

Glass is a naturally sustainable product made of simple materials mined from areas in close proximity to the manufacturing location. It is both highly recyclable and includes recycled content. Today, designers use many Guardian products that increase facility energy efficiency. Our products with low-e glass coatings work to either capture and/or reflect solar heat, while our anti-reflective glass maximizes light transmission at peak energy efficiency levels in stadium and parking lot lighting applications. We believe true environmental stewardship is part of good design. But these energy-focused glass solutions represent only a small part of our global environmental advocacy story.

As a proud member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and with certifications from ENERGY STAR® and GreenGuardTM, our products help earn LEED points. From reusing our broken glass (cullet) in all of our products to investing millions in facility upgrades to create some of the cleanest, most environmentally friendly float glass plants in the world, Guardian is always leveraging opportunities to improve sustainability across our entire organization.

Many different programs and certifications have emerged over the last decade that can make it difficult to decipher green company and product claims. We use the criteria developed for level®, a program created by the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA), as an organizational structure for our programs and processes. The level® program delivers an open and transparent third-party means of evaluating and communicating the environmental and social impacts of (furniture) products in the built environment. Taking into account a company’s social actions, energy usage, material selection and human and ecosystem health impacts, level® addresses how a product is sustainable from multiple perspectives including aspects of the organization, manufacturing plant and product. With level®, designers can make informed choices about products that exceed single attribute eco-certifications.